


Familiar Spirits

by inexplicabletrousers



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, F/M, Familiars, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Historical Fantasy, Historical Inaccuracy, Puritanism, Religion, Young Ben Solo, age gap what age gap, except it's witches here, lots of horses, probably going to be a bit torturey eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-16 05:20:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14157663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inexplicabletrousers/pseuds/inexplicabletrousers
Summary: A man also, or woman, that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.Leviticus 20:27 KJVBen has always been different. Leia saw it the moment he was born; power. Something strange and ungodly. She has kept him safe and secret for 13 years, but as he reaches adulthood it gets harder and harder. Their lives are made even harder when the town Elders decide that they are the perfect household to care for a girl found wandering, stealing what she can to survive.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I listened to a podcast about witches in horror films and then this happened. Kind of The Crucible meets Star Wars. This is a weird fic to write as a Christian, but I don't see any major issues. Suffice to say it is not God being a jerk, it is people thinking they're helping him who are the problem. (Ring any bells?)
> 
> Also the witchcraft in this is just the Force, I'm not going to try and dress it up with any more pagan lore because I don't know enough. I'll use tropes of historical witch hunt stuff, but nothing is intended to be accurate or offensive in any way if you are a practising Witch/Wiccan/Pagan etc. Or a practising Puritan. Whatever, this is just for fun and I am using knowledge from google/witch hunt era books and plays I've read.

_ A man also, or woman, that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. _

_ Leviticus 20:27 KJV _

 

Leia watched her son out of the window as she swept. He was in that strange, awkward phase of growing where his limbs were too long for his body, and his views, though not yet fully formed, were adamant. He stood quietly beside the bird table, watching as a crow pecked away at the scraps they had left. She thought she saw his lips move, and she scowled, leaning the brush against the doorway and striding over to him. The bird watched as she approached, too bold and too curious. She should fetch her gun and shoot the godforsaken creature, except that it would break Ben further than he was already. ‘Inside.’ She spoke brusquely, and the boy turned to look at her, muted fury in his eyes. 

‘Why?’ He asked, brow heavy over his eyes as he stared her down. 

‘You know why.’ She stated, turning back toward the house. He would follow. He always did, though he would resent it, and she would doubtless wake to find he had destroyed yet another piece of their hard won home. She picked up the brush and continued her work. Clean home, clean mind. She would ask Han to speak to him again when he returned from the fields. 

‘I’m not hurting anyone.’ Ben said after a while, sitting, arms folded at the small wooden table. ‘I’m just watching.’ Leia glanced at him.

‘Watching is fine. Talking is not.’ She told him for the hundredth time. They could not afford suspicion, not now. Not after she had escaped her old life and the stigma of her family. Ben frowned and he hunched his shoulders, staring moodily into the glass of water on the table before him. ‘

‘I don’t see how it’s a problem.’ He muttered and Leia sighed.

‘Then I don’t see where all your reading has gotten you. You’ve heard the rumours. Witches. We cannot have suspicion falling on this house, Benjamin. Crops are failing. Times are hard.’  She watched as her son rolled his eyes and rose from the table, stalking off towards the bedroom. She would find him reading again if she followed, but she had no time. The elders were due to visit tonight, and she would not have them find her home in any other state than pristine; not if she wanted them to listen to what she had to say. Her cat wandered in, coiling itself around her legs and for a moment she let herself stop to crouch and caress his head. ‘Go see to Ben, Artoo.’ She murmured and the cat trotted off. Artemis had a strange way of seeming to understand everything she asked of him, which had proven useful more and more since Ben had been born.

 

Ben glanced up from his book as the cat entered the room. It wandered over and settled itself on his lap, fixing him with a wide-eyed accusatory stare. ‘What?’ he asked moodily, scratching the cat’s ears nonetheless. Artoo purred at the attention and kneaded the teenager’s legs. Ben rolled his eyes and lifted his book over the cat, continuing to read as he stroked Artemis with his other hand. This was important. If he studied he could go to the clergy and escape all of this. He didn’t want to end up like his father, abandoning his passion to support a family through back-breaking labour, not that he felt particularly passionate about the church. Still, perhaps his unusual new abilities were God-given. He hoped that was the case; the alternative didn’t bear thinking. He didn’t think he was evil, as such. Not holy, certainly, but evil seemed a strong term. He didn’t actually do anything with the power he felt within him, but as a minister or a doctor he could perhaps use them for good. He would get out of this town and go somewhere; do something with his life. Artoo leapt from his knee, waiting by the door meowing obnoxiously. Placing the book carefully on the bed, Ben rose and walked back through to the kitchen. Leia stood over a pot which hung over the fire, occasionally stirring. The boy cleared his throat and Leia looked up. ‘Ben, you’ve decided to join us this evening then?’ Ben looked away, face still darkened by his perpetual scowl, but nodded. ‘Good. Then you can get the silverware. It’s in the trunk.’ 

 

‘I don’t know why we don’t sell the silver. It makes no sense.’ Ben muttered as he wandered over to the large trunk which held Leia’s heirlooms and trinkets from the life she had lived before sailing across the world to start anew. Leia shook her head slightly.They had had this conversation before; she had had this conversation with both Han and Ben, and neither seemed capable of leaving the issue alone. ‘Because, Benjamin, it is a link to the family I lost. I will not have this argument again.’ Ben continued to mutter, but she ignored him. She had more important things to concern herself with, like why did the Elders wish to speak with her? If it was about Ben, if anybody suspected… She didn’t know what she would do. She had been through this before, with her brother. She couldn’t lose her son too. She was torn from her worries when the door flew open, and Han strode in. He stopped when he saw the look on her face, and their son laying the table with the silver they kept only for special occasions. ‘What’s going on?’ He asked, expression darkening. ‘Not the elders?’ Lei nodded, and Han sighed. ‘Great. Perfect end to a perfect day.’ He sat at the table and rested his chin on his hand. Leia walked across and placed a kiss on his forehead before returning to the meal she was making. 

‘What happened?’ She asked, hoping there would at least be some good news. ‘Any progress with our crops?’ Han shook his head. 

‘Nothing. And then Falcon threw a shoe so I had to go to the blacksmith which meant that the days work was abandoned. I could really use you in the fields, Ben.’ He turned to his son, who avoided eye contact. ‘ I won’t make you, you know that, but if you want a day off from your studies you can always come and help out. Kes Dameron’s selling a horse, it’d be a stretch but we could afford it if you came to work with me.’ 

‘So I give up on my life so that you can buy a new horse?’ Ben responded sharply, glaring at his father. Han furrowed his brow, pinching his forehead between finger and thumb.’ No, kid. It would be your horse. You like riding, you’re good. You could work for the post like I did.’ He turned to Leia, ‘Nothing quite like the feeling of the wind through your hair as you ride a horse faster than nature intended through the countryside. It’s a beautiful creature, love. Dameron’s horse. Dappled grey, dark mane and tail. Not as lovely as Falcon, obviously, but still beautiful.’ Ben tuned them out. When his father got onto horses there was no end to it, and he would talk for hours about the different animals he had ridden in his day. All of that was over now, of course. Ben’s birth had ruined all of that; while Leia hadn’t really needed Han at home to help her care for him, leaving his wife for days on end to carry mail was frowned upon by the church leaders and Leia would do what it took to stay in their good books. Ben knew Han resented him for that. He tried to ignore it most of the time, but it was there between them. He would not give up on his plans to work the fields though, it would be a waste of his potential.

When he tuned back into his parent’s conversation they were discussing what the Elders might want. ‘Me, right? They know I’m - They saw me talking to the birds. They think I’m a-’ Leia looked at him, concerned. ‘It’s possible. If it looks like that’s what they’re saying you excuse yourself and you run, do you hear me? I won’t have them try you.’ She pressed her lips together. ‘It might be wise to pack up a few things, so you have them ready if you need them.’ She saw Ben’s lip quiver and she stood, moving over to put her hands on his shoulders. ‘We don’t know that’s why they’re here. But if it is I need you to stay safe, ok?’ She took a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped away the tear falling down his cheek. ‘It’s not your fault, Ben. It just happens sometimes, I don’t know why. You can start again though, you’re a strong lad, you’ll find work.’ Ben swallowed and turned, refusing to acknowledge his mother’s touch. He left the room and Han and Leia heard him gathering his meager possessions loudly, drawers and doors slamming as he did so. Leia sighed and leant against Han, who wrapped his arms around her. ‘We don’t know that’s what they’re coming for. God-willing it’s something else.’ There was a knock on the door, and they heard Ben scramble in the other room to get his things together before the Elders came in. Leia gave him a moment to return to their living space, eyes still red, betraying his fear, before she opened the door to the men who could take everything from her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The town elders have an unusual request to make of the Solo family.

_ The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow, but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. _

_ Psalm 146:9 KJV _

 

Tobias Snoke stood in their doorway, his scarred visage turning Leia’s stomach slightly. He had been condemned as a heretic back in England and had suffered as a result. Nobody quite knew the circumstances of his escape, but the village knew he wore the scars as a badge of honour. Brendol Hux stood beside him, sombre and austere as always, giving nothing away. ‘Ministers,’ Leia greeted them, ‘Please come in and take a seat. I’ve prepared a meal for you. It isn’t much, but I hope it will suffice.’ The men nodded their thanks and entered, shaking Han’s hand  as they passed him. They were followed by two children; one she knew, Brendol’s boy, Armitage, but the other was unfamiliar to her. A slight girl, dull, lank hair hanging around her resigned face trudged after them. Leia looked over to the town Elders who sat at her table, expecting some explanation. The men turned to Han and she had to fight to stop herself from rolling her eyes. ‘Mr Solo, we came with an unusual request. As one of the few households in our town with only one child, we know you may have more resources to spare than others, even in these hard times.’ Brendol spoke, while Snoke stayed silent, watching Ben with a strange expression on his face. Ben met his gaze for a minute, but looked away, confused and intimidated by the power he was sure he felt emanating from the man. He was a minister. It must be the power of God in him. Han gestured for Brendol to continue. ‘This girl, Rachel,’ 

‘Rey’ The girl interrupted, speaking for the first time to correct the minister at whom she glared from beneath a heavy brow. He glanced at her with an expression of distaste before continuing as though she had not spoken, ‘was brought to us after she was found stealing. The family who found her would like to remain unnamed, but asked that she be treated mercifully. We felt that you would perhaps be able to take her in. She seems strong enough. She could be of use.’ Though he was a man of the church, Leia could see that this decision irked him. She looked the girl up and down. Her eyes were filled with quiet fury and determination, and despite her slight frame Leia was sure she would prove more than a handful if allowed to continue unchecked. Han looked to Leia for the decision, knowing it would be her who ultimately did the work of caring for a new child. They couldn’t afford it. They both knew that, but if Leia wanted to take the child they would find a way to make it work. She could come and work with him if Ben was set on pursuing his education; it would be nice to have another set of hands at least. Leia cleared her throat. ‘Ben, I wonder if you would like to show Armitage and.. Rey, was it?’ She asked the girl, who nodded. ‘Good. Could you show them your books, I know Armitage is studying too. We will eat after we have discussed this.’ Rey eyed the other children suspiciously, while Armitage and Ben focussed on each other, a rivalry that had been going on since they met at school continuing to keep them from enjoying their shared interests. Ben shot his mother a scowl before rising and stalking out of the room.

 

Leia shook her head, smiling. ‘Those two are still at each other’s throats then?’ She asked Brendol who nodded. 

‘It would seem their rivalry is still going strong. Of course I imagine Armitage would happily forgive Ben, should he apologise.’ The man quirked an eyebrow, fingers steepled before him and Leia frowned. This again. She would not be lead into this argument another time. Tobias cleared his throat, eyes still fixed on the door through which Ben had left, followed by the other two children. ‘I would like to speak with Ben after our conversation, if I may.’ He said simply, and Leia could not deduce his motive. Han shrugged. ‘Ask Ben, not me. If he listened to me he’d be working by now.’ The clergyman put his head on one side. 

‘I intend to offer him work. Not manual labour, though I’m sure he’s more than capable. If you agree I’d take him on as an apprentice.’ Han held up his hands. If Ben wanted to do it, he would. He was well aware that his son was not one to respect his father’s authority, or, more appropriately perhaps within their family dynamic, his mother’s authority. Leia frowned, preferring to keep her life as separate from the church as possible. If he went with them it would only a matter of time before he was discovered. She found solace in Brendol’s sour expression at the offer, before turning the conversation back to the matter at hand. ‘If Ben is working we could probably afford to take the girl in.’ She looked to Han, knowing the Elders would need to hear his approval. Her husband nodded. ‘Especially if she’ll help in the fields. We can’t turn her away. Care for widows and orphans, right?’ He quoted, turning to Brendol who nodded solemnly. ‘Indeed. Shall we call the children in then?’ Leia looked at han, who rose and walked through to the next room. He found Armitage and Ben locked in a furious muttered debate about predestination, and shook his head. He saw Rey sitting quietly in a corner and frowned. She looked half-starved. Even if Ben wasn’t going to work with Snoke, they couldn’t turn her away.  He went and crouched in front of the child. She was younger than Ben, though not by much. Maybe eleven or twelve years old, just two or three years younger than his son. ‘Hey, kid. You want some food?’ He asked quietly, while the argument behind him grew louder. She nodded and he extended a hand. She glanced at it suspiciously and folded her arms, but rose to follow him anyway. 

 

‘It’s more nuanced than that, you’re just not intelligent enough to understand it.’ Han heard Ben say, obviously fighting himself not to shout at the other boy. ‘I am intelligent enough to know that what you are insinuating is heretical, and that my father would be very interested to hear that we have a heretic in our midst.’ Hux’s son said calmly, unrattled by Ben’s aggravation. Han noticed the cot they sat on shaking a little and cleared his throat, diffusing the situation before Ben caused anymore damage to their small home. ‘I think this needs to stop now, Ben.’ He told his enraged son. ‘We should go and eat. Besides, I think Snoke wants you to go and work with him; you’ll have plenty of time to discuss theology then.’ Ben stood, fists still clenched by his sides, and shot his father a worried look. 

 

‘Work with him?’ He asked, conscious that he couldn’t reveal the source of his concern right now, but that his father would know exactly what he was thinking. Han smiled at his son. ‘He thinks you have potential. Seems very excited about this. It’d help us a lot if you were bringing in some money, kiddo.’ Ben nodded dumbly and put down the book he had been citing in his debate with Hux.to follow his father through into the other room. He could hide his power in front of Snoke, he had hidden it well enough thus far. This was what he wanted to do, after all. He could continue his studies, and working with a minister would help him to straighten out some of the things he didn’t understand. He felt a tug on his coat and glanced down. The girl who had been sitting silently was standing beside him, looking up at him with a strange expression. ‘What?’ he asked, still shaken by the events of the afternoon. The girl just continued to watch him with an odd, knowing look, and he shook his head, moving through into the other room and sitting in the empty seat between his mother and the scarred elder he had been asked to speak with.  

 

‘Benjamin,’ Tobias Snoke murmured as he sat. ‘I don’t know if we’ve actually met before. I’ve heard a lot about your successes in your studies. You’re a very intelligent young man by all accounts, I’d welcome your help as my apprentice.’ Ben sat a little taller in his chair, pleased to be in the company of someone who valued intelligence; his father was a good man, but he didn’t understand him, and his mother was so scared of his powers that she couldn’t see past them long enough to try. Snoke seemed to want to actually get to know him; to listen to him. 

 

Leia swallowed quietly as the man beside her son smiled at him as though he wanted to eat him. ‘This is your choice, Ben.’ She told him quietly. ‘I know you want to continue your studies; you don’t have to go.’ Ben looked round to her, surprised at her reticence. She certainly seemed to want him out from underfoot most of the time. ‘I’ll do it. We need the money, right?’ She grimaced, but nodded. Snoke’s smile broadened and she felt slightly ill. Something about the man felt… wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but all the same she did not trust him. She began to serve the stew she had prepared, beginning with their adult guests and moving on to serve Rey who began eating immediately, stopping only when Brendol cuffed her around the head. ‘In this town, we do not eat until after we have said grace.’ The girl scowled at him, but did not continue eating. Once everyone was served, Snoke said grace and they ate in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Rey sat opposite Ben, watching him carefully, just as Leia watch Snoke. Once the meal was over, the elders rose and said their goodbyes, leaving the girl behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're enjoying this. I only vaguely know what's going to happen plot wise, but so far it seems fun!
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben can't work out Snoke's expectations.

_Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves._

_Matthew 7:15 (KJV)_

 

Ben looked up from the books Snoke had handed him, lips pursed and brow furrowed. ‘I don't understand.’ He said simply, closing the book. The man opposite looked up from the letters he had been writing and fixed the boy with a level gaze. ‘I think you do.’ He replied, going back to his work without giving a further explanation. Ben scowled, but opened the book again. None of this made sense. Tobias Snoke was the town’s lead elder, he had taught more than half of the sermons Ben had heard in his life and he was the man people turned to in a crisis, though admittedly he preferred to direct Brendol Hux than take action himself. None of what he was reading now matched what he had heard in the small town church every Sunday since he could remember. ‘It seems as though -’ he paused, looking up to be sure the man was listening to him. Snoke put down his quill and clasped his hands in front of him, waiting for the child to continue. He saw promise in the boy, though the family were an inconvenience he would have to work around. He would find something soon enough; for now he needed to coach him through this difficult first stage. After that he would finally have someone on whom he could rely. Ben still didn't speak. He would have to intervene, give the boy something to begin with. ‘I will not condemn any inquisitive notion as heresy. You may speak your mind. If you are wrong we will discuss why.’

 

He longed to grab the boy’s jaw and force the words out of him. _It’s not true. There is no smiling, loving God. No furious vengeful being waiting to bring down justice or interfere in the lives of the people toiling to please him. There is just nothing._ That grand realisation had come to Snoke slowly and then all at once, and it had given him such freedom. He longed to see the childish hope die in the boy’s eyes, leaving an empty vessel for him to shape and fill as he would.

 

Ben nodded, and started to speak. ‘It seems as though everything I've learned is… wrong.’ He felt stupid putting it like that, but he didn’t have the words to express what was happening in his head. He had felt stupid a lot since coming to work and study as Snoke’s apprentice. A small smile warping his features, Snoke spoke again. ‘How exactly is it wrong?’ he pushed, waiting for the moment it clicked. It may not be today, he told himself. It may not be tonight, or tomorrow, but it would be soon. Savour this. Commit to memory every aspect of the child you took from his home , frightened and unformed; it will be something you cherish when you have completed your work and made him anew in your image. The beginning of a great work. The boy before him placed his palm across the page he had been reading and opened his mouth to speak again, still nervous. ‘This is so different, but from the same source. I don't know why you want me to read so many heretical texts. Armitage told me his father says it's important to focus on texts from our own tradition in order to cement our understanding before looking outside to recognise false prophets.’ Snoke frowned when he heard the name Armitage. He had thought the enmity between the two would have kept Solo unsullied by his partner’s blindness, but no matter. ‘Armitage Hux is a fool, repeating the words of his fool father. Pay him no heed. Their minds are so small, they cannot fathom the things I intend to teach you. They serve a purpose.’

 

Again Ben felt the small swell of pride in his chest that came from the older man’s recognition of his nature and intelligence. He nodded. ‘You will explain then?’ He asked, hopefully. Snoke frowned, disappointed. The child’s naivety, though ultimately of use, was beginning to grate. ‘I intend to teach you. That does not mean I will tell you everything, I will expect you to work. Your position is a privilege which can be easily revoked. Go home for the day, you can continue your reading tomorrow.’ Chastened, Ben rose and muttered his goodbyes. Snoke was pleased to note the small bow the boy still offered as he left, despite his refusal to make eye contact after he had been dismissed; he had listened, then, to the lessons on respect and reverence he had been given, however grudging the action seemed. In future such rudeness would be punished, but for now they would move slowly. The boy left the room and Snoke turned back to his work, extending a hand to bring the book he had given Ben sliding down the long, narrow table towards him. As he caught it, he glanced at the page Ben had been reading and smiled. Of course. A treatise on Luther’s work, directly quoting from yet contradicting the same passages he had read from a Catholic perspective the previous day. They were drawing ever closer to the grand disillusion. Soon enough the boy would read texts from their tradition with the same critical eye he applied to these words. Soon he would be able to reveal his power and the real work would begin.

 

***

Ben took the long route home, meandering through fields and footpaths as he thought over what Snoke had said to him. He kicked a rock, the pain in his foot worth the satisfying thud as it hit a fence post. He pulled it back to him with a twitch of his fingers and kicked it again, venting the frustrations that had been building throughout the day as he read and failed to understand. Giving in completely he kicked the fence post, blinded by the feelings that swirled inside him boiling over into quick, violent movement. He stepped back breathing heavily, coming back to himself as he saw the post destroyed and lying on the ground. Grunting with the effort he lifted the post and kicked at the dirt around it to anchor it in place. It slanted a little, but stood fine. He stalked off, glancing back briefly at the fence post. He came to his father’s field soon enough, stopping beside the untrimmed hedges to watch as his father directed Rey in their work. The girl was still largely silent at home, but he saw her laughing casually with his father now as he called to her from the plough. She looked up suddenly, seemingly expecting him to be there. The girl made eye contact with Ben, shooting him a cautious smile before speaking quickly to Han, who turned and waved Ben over. He sighed and steeled himself for the pointed comments he knew were on their way, walking down one of the furrows to meet the pair. ‘Father.’ The word was clipped, tone flat as he continued to dwell on what Snoke had told him; he _should_ understand. Snoke expected him to understand, but he didn’t. Not good enough. He would continue to push himself until he did. Rey watched him as he wrestled with himself, and he scowled. The girl had barely spoken to him, but she seemed to be able to stare past his skin into his soul. He looked away from her.

 

‘Ben.’ Han greeted his son with a tired smile as he gave the boy a once over. He was a mess; he looked more dishevelled than either Han or Rey, who had been working outside all day, rather than sitting at a desk. Han frowned. ‘You ok, kid?’ It was probably nothing; it usually was with Ben. A whole lot of anxiety wrapped up in anger and confusion, generally about very little as far as Han could tell. The boy shrugged. ‘It’s fine. It’s nothing.’ The relief that he had not confided in him came off Han in waves, and Ben kicked at one of the ridges they had ploughed into the field, slowly refilling the furrow. To Han’s surprise, Rey shoved Ben. ‘Stop that.’ She told him firmly. To Han’s even greater surprise Ben did. He folded his arms though, still obviously not ‘fine.’ Han pinched his brow, screwing his eyes shut for a moment. ‘You should probably talk to your mother about whatever it is.’ He said eventually. ‘We’re headed home now too, come on.’

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm enjoying writing Snoke a lot. That guy is the worst. Hope you're enjoying this :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben continues to wrestle with the ideas he has heard from Snoke. Rey reveals something of herself to the family.

 

_ I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance... _

_ Psalm 31:11 (KJV) _

 

Leia looked up when her husband entered, accompanied by their son, and the girl they had taken in. Worried by Ben’s dark expression, she rose and walked over to him, greeting Han with a kiss on the cheek and shooting Rey a warm smile as she took her son’s arm and pulled him back out of the front door so they could speak in private; while she would not begrudge the girl a home, her presence meant that the secrets they kept within their walls could no longer be freely spoken of. ‘What happened?’ She asked Ben urgently. ‘I can help you pack up if you need to, and we can get you out of here tonight.’ Ben’s scowl deepened.

‘I don’t need to leave, mother. I’m just thinking about some things I’ve been reading. You’re still stuck with me.’ Leia cursed herself inwardly. She always leapt to the worst case scenario with Ben, despite the front she put up. He saw through that anyway; at some point she had stopped trying to put up a happy front when she spoke to him. She needed him to stay safe. Though she hadn’t spoken to him about her past, beyond mentioning her brother’s power as a possible explanation, it was ever present when she dealt with her son these days. She just wanted him to be safe, she told herself again as he sloped back into the house, refusing to confide in her. 

 

Ben sat on the cot squeezed into the corner of the shared bedroom, pulling his worn bible from the mess of blankets beside it that he had been sleeping on since Rey’s arrival. He thumbed through it, reading passages at random but finding nothing to shake the feeling of futility and loss that crawled beneath his skin and threatened to overwhelm him. He read through Psalm 119, David’s struggle to stay firm in his faith as the world around him mocked and derided him. He was studying to be a minister, or something like that - Snoke hadn’t specified what he was studying for, but he assumed it was to follow in the elder’s footsteps - why did he feel less certain than ever before? The words fell around him like bricks, trapping him in a cell of his own inadequacy. ‘ _ Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the way of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’  _ He slammed the book shut, and the walls rattled. He was seeking, he was always seeking and trying to be better, but how could he  _ do no iniquity  _ when his every feeling threatened to spill out of him and enact his will on the world without his consent? How could he be righteous when he was what everyone was so afraid of - even his mother, the only woman Brendol Hux actively avoided speaking with for fear of losing yet another argument publicly, was afraid of? 

 

He heard quiet footsteps and looked up from his hands to see the girl standing before him, her lips pressed together in thought. ‘What?’ he asked gruffly, blinking away the tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes. She frowned at him, apparently surprised by his presence, despite the fact that she was the one to approach him. ‘Oh, sorry.’ She registered his expression and bit her lip. ‘Are you ok?’ Ben nodded and the girl rolled her eyes. ‘Right.’ She sat on the bed beside him, pushing the bible out of the way and he turned to examine the younger girl. She was still very thin, but he had seen how strong she was when he’d watched her work with his father. He wondered where that strength was coming from; she seemed half-starved. ‘Where are you from?’ He asked. She didn’t sound like she was from anywhere nearby. The girl shifted uncomfortably. She had barely spoken to him since moving in with them, aside from thanking him for giving up his bed and the occasional greeting. ‘Nowhere that you’d know.’ She answered cagily, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Ben didn’t push, extending the same courtesy to her that she had offered him. ‘How long were you alone?’ He asked, still trying to piece together her background with his clumsy questions. She looked up at him, glaring. ‘Why do you want to know?’ He shrugged. There was something about her that puzzled him, and he wanted to find out everything he could; wanted to solve at least one mystery today. She stood up from the bed and stalked out of the room, leaving his questions unanswered and his frustration burning brighter than it had before she had come in to help. He took the book from the bed beside him and flung it across the room, laying back on the bed and closing his eyes. He would claim to have been praying and reflecting if anyone asked, but in truth he simply allowed himself to focus on the world around him in the darkness; the heartbeats of the people in the room beside him, the flickering fear and worry he always felt from his parents, and the strange resolute calm of the girl they had taken in; the life waiting beneath the ground in the fields around them, unaware of the pressure to grow and thrive and feed the town; the storm brewing to the West, lightning tumbling and crackling through the clouds searching for something to bring it down to the ground.

 

‘Supper!’ The call from the next room pulled him out of it, and he screwed his eyes shut for a moment, bringing himself back to the room he lay in. He rose and wandered through, sitting beside his father. He ate silently as Han regaled them for what felt like the hundredth time with one of his stories about how he and Falcon broke some record or other delivering important documents. It was Rey’s first time hearing the tale, and her rapt expression was irritating him. He looked out of the window, and noticed the crows again. They always came as a group, which was odd. He knew it was the same group as before, the same group as always; they felt the same.They sounded the same, though he would never admit that out loud, it would give his mother a heart attack if she discovered that they talked back to him.  _ What? _ He asked, remembering to keep his focus this time and not actually move his lips. The bird in the front of the group ruffled it’s feathers and cocked its head to one side.  _ Worried.  _ It replied as the other four behind it shuffled about, trying to fit themselves onto the window ledge. He fought to keep his expression bland as the conversation continued.  _ Yes, but it’s fine, I’ll work it out.  _ The birds shuffled together and he was sure they were laughing at him.  _ He’ll work it out.  _ They muttered to each other, and Ben wished it was just him and his parents and he could extend his hand to close the shutters and block them out. Opposite him, Leia noticed the slight downward twitch of his lip and followed his gaze. She scowled when she saw what he was looking at and stood to close the shutters herself, shooing the birds away. She raised her eyebrows at Ben, reprimanding him wordlessly and he stared down at the table. Han had finished his story and the room fell into a heavy silence. Rey looked across at Ben and cleared her throat, breaking the silence. ‘My parents left me six years ago. I don’t know where they went.’ 

 

Han and Leia exchanged a look, confused by the statement that had seemingly come from nowhere. Ben just stared at her for a moment, completely unaware of how to respond, before speaking quietly. ‘I’m sorry. That’s-’ he looked away - six years? She would only have been five or six-  ‘-awful,’ he finished lamely, knee bouncing below the table as he tried to contain the sudden surge of anger he felt towards the strangers who had abandoned their child. Rey shrugged. ‘I’ll find them, one day.’ There was a grim determination about her that he admired, though he couldn’t see any basis for her hope. Leia shot him a look, warning him off, and he glared back. He wasn’t an idiot; it wasn’t his job to disillusion her, it was nothing to do with him. He continued to eat quietly. ‘They will.’ Rey asserted, scowling around her. Han stepped in to diffuse the tension. ‘Noone’s saying they won’t. But until they do you can stay here, ok.’ Rey glanced over to him and smiled. ‘Thanks. I like it here.’ She smiled warmly at Han and Leia, and Ben felt slightly sick. He stood and stalked out, off on a walk to clear his head. Artoo followed, occasionally running ahead, or staying back to scent mark a tree or post, but always re-appearing at Ben’s side the moment he thought the cat had run off. ‘I’m not going to get lost. I can walk on my own.’ He muttered to the animal, and the cat dropped back a little, still following but giving him space. He glanced up to see Armitage Hux, seated outside his house. He had wandered subconsciously over to the side of town where Snoke and Hux stayed, apparently drawn back to the place that had caused him so much consternation. The boy looked up, weedy and sunburnt, his complexion not suited to life in the New World. ‘What are you doing here?’ He asked, tone clipped and irritated. Ben sneered. ‘Why does it matter to you? I’m certainly not here to see you.’ Hux rose, standing to his full height, still inches shorter than Ben, and pushing out his chest. ‘Then leave.’ He stared Ben down, and Ben found himself amused by the notion that he could terrify the boy with just a twitch of his hand. He wouldn’t, it would be too risky. Anyway, he could easily beat the older boy in a physical fight; his power was not necessary to humiliate him. He resisted the urge to hoist the kid into the air by the collar of his ostentatious coat and simply smirked at him. ‘Gladly. I was visiting Minister Snoke anyway.’ Armitage’s face soured further, and Ben was pleased to note the jealousy in his expression as he sat back on the bench and Ben strode away, full of self importance.

 

Snoke ushered him in, glancing around before closing the door and sitting again in his armchair. There was only one chair in the room, opposite the crackling fire. Snoke gestured for Ben to sit, so he did, uncomfortable on the flagstone floor at the foot of the chair. ‘Well?’ Snoke asked quietly. Ben swallowed, holding onto the victory he considered himself to have won against Brendol Hux’s irksome spawn. He cleared his throat. ‘It doesn’t make sense. None of it. It would make more sense if-’ he glanced up at Snoke, before looking down again, worried that this was too far; too much. It made sense though. Why would God have created him with wickedness written through his very soul? Why would he be inflicted on his parents, a curse for sins he knew they had not committed? ‘- if it was all a lie.’ He finished, looking up again, eyes darting back to the ground after half a second’s eye contact. Above him, Snoke’s heart filled with vicious pride, but now was not the time for celebration.  ‘I wonder, Benjamin, if I pricked your finger, would it bleed? Shall I fetch my tools for searching out witches?’ Snoke smiled cruelly as the boy quaked at his feet, eyes wide now, meeting his but filled with fear. He had taken the first step. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh Snoke is a bad bloke. Must be true because it rhymes. Rey is so precious and must be protected at all costs.  
> Find me on tumblr! https://reylo-ology.tumblr.com/   
> Kudos and comments make me happy<3


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